Edmund was born in Nanumea in the Tuvalu islands. His father was of Irish and his mother Cook island descent. They moved to Western Samoa when Edmund was 5 or 6 years old. The Duffy family loved their time spent living in Tuvalu and gave their children Tuvaluan nicknames. Edmunds was Lavea and he named one of his sons Lavea also.
Duffy arrived on the Talune in Auckland, New Zealand from Apia, Samoa, with James Swanney and Robert Stowers on 31 January 1916.
War service: Egypt, Palestine, Western Front
Disembarked Suez, 23 June 1916.
Embarked Alexandria, 26 July 1916; disembarked Southampton, England, 7 August 1916.
Proceeded from Sling Camp overseas to France, 28 August 1916; posted to and join Pioneer Bn, in the field, 9 September 1916.
Admitted to No 2 NZ Field Ambulance, 8 December 1916 (bronchitis); transferred to 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station, 13 December 1916; to No 1 Convalescent Depot, Boulogne, 16 December 1916; rejoined unit, in the field, 1 January 1917.
Admitted to No 3 NZ Field Ambulance, 12 April 1917 (bronchitis); transferred to No 2 NZ Field Ambulance, 13 April 1917; discharged to Reinforcements Camp, 20 April 1917; rejoined unit, 21 April 1917.
Wounded in action, 7 June 1917 (gun shot wound, left arm), and admitted to 9th Australian Field Ambulance; transferred same day to No 2 Australian Casualty Clearing Station; to No 32 Stationary Hospital, Wimereux, 8 June 1917; to England, 10 June 1917, and admitted same day to No 1 NZ General Hospital, Brockenhurst; transferred to NZ Convalescent Hospital, Hornchurch, 26 June 1917.
Detailed for course of instruction, Bethnal Green, London, 16 July 1917.
Attached to strength of NZ Command Depot, Codford, 8 September 1917; on leave until 24 September 1917.
Proceeded overseas to France, 2 December 1917; rejoined unit, in the field, 25 December 1917.
Detached to Rarotongan Company, 14 January 1918.
Embarked from Marseilles for Egypt, 21 January 1918; disembarked Alexandria, 4 February 1918; marched into Training Regiment, Moascar, 5 February 1918.
Transferred to Rarotongan Company, Jaffa, 16 May 1918.
Admitted to 33rd Casualty Clearing Station, 13 July 1918 (malaria); transferred to 27th General Hospital, Abbassia, 23 July 1918; ischarged to duty, 2 August 1918.
Commenced return to New Zealand from Suez on board HT 'Malta', 13 December 1918; discharged, 7 March 1919.
Total war service: 3 years 33 days (of which 2 years 267 days were abroad) AWMM